Get back in the game

Recently, National Council of La Raza (NCLR), one of the leading Latino organizations in the country, released an article titled “The Implications of Overweight and Obesity for Latino Children.” This article, along with many other studies, highlight the growing problem of obesity among our Latino youth.  The data from the NCLR article is overwhelming:

• Among Hispanic children ages 2-19, nearly 2 in five (38.2%) were overweight or obese, with about 1 in 5 (20.9%) meeting the definition of obesity.
• Obesity is linked with a number of chronic diseases including heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, diabetes, asthma, certain cancers and sleep apnea.
• Hispanic children who are overweight or obese may also be more likely to experience low self-esteem or social stigmatization.

Obesity is preventable as are many of the health issues and diseases that follow. Obesity effects children physically, mentally and socially throughout their life.

One organization assuming its role in combating childhood obesity is the NFL. Play 60 is the National Football League’s campaign to encourage kids to be active for 60 minutes a day in order to help reverse the trend of childhood obesity.

Take Action

• Pledge to Play 60 and find kid-friendly health tips such as: snacks for your backpack, refuel for school and “what u need 2 know about h-2-o”.
• Go to http://students.fueluptoplay60.com/LogIn?ReturnUrl=%2f (Fuel Up To Play), the NFL Play 60′s interactive website for kids to track their nutrition and fitness success.

Find Play 60 youth and adult t-shirts through NFLShop on Valoramas.com and support initiatives involved in preventing childhood obesity.

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